Results Of Finite Element Calculations Research Articles

Complex stress mechanism and design method of urban rail prestressed concrete U‐beams based on finite element simulation

SummaryTo explore the complex stress mechanism of prestressed concrete U‐beams in urban rail transit, in order to improve the safety of urban rail transit construction and the economy of beam structures. The study first analyzed the complex stress mechanism of U‐beams and obtained a tension compression rod model through finite element analysis. Then, experimental research was conducted on the vertical three‐dimensional finite element stress of U‐beams, and strain cloud maps were obtained and compared with calculated values. The experimental data show that the beam can still recover to its original state after the second cycle, and the beam will not crack. This recovery mechanism means that U‐beams have high crack resistance and stability under complex stress processes. In the vertical deformation cloud map of the U‐beam, the deflection of the mid span section is the largest, with a maximum displacement of about 20.4 mm, which is very close to the measured value of 20.3 mm. In the measured data of concrete strain measuring points and the results of finite element calculation, the difference rate between measured values and calculated values of some measuring points is within 10%. The results indicate that the U‐shaped beam tension and compression rod model combined with finite element analysis has a high degree of conformity with the actual situation, and can provide technical reference for the construction of urban rail transit. The stress mechanism and design method proposed in the study have high reliability and are suitable for the design and construction of prestressed concrete U‐beams in urban rail transit construction.

Analysis of Amplification Effect and Optimal Control of the Toggle-Style Negative Stiffness Viscous Damper

This paper proposes a new toggle-style negative stiffness viscous damper (TNVD), and evaluates the performance of the TNVD with the displacement amplification factor (fd) and the energy dissipation factor (fE). Firstly, the composition and characteristics of the TNVD are introduced. Subsequently, the displacement amplification factor is introduced to evaluate the displacement amplification ability of the TNVD, and it is decomposed into a geometric amplification factor and an effective displacement coefficient. Then, based on the geometric amplification factor and effective displacement coefficient, the correlation between the TNVD’s displacement amplification ability and inter-story deformation is studied, and an improved TNVD is proposed. By the comparison of the finite element calculation results, it is found that the improved TNVD can utilize the assumption of small structural deformation. After that, the impacts of plentiful aspects, such as the length of the lower connecting rod, the horizontal inclination angle of the lower connecting rod, the inter-story deformation limit, the cross-sectional area of the connecting rod, the damping coefficient, and the negative stiffness on the fd and fE of the improved TNVD, are expounded. The research results show that when the length of the TNVD’s lower connecting rod remains unchanged, the fd and fE present a trend of increasing first and then decreasing with the increase in the horizontal inclination angle of the lower connecting rod. When the inter-story deformation is fixed, there exists an optimal lower connecting rod’s length that satisfies a specific relationship to achieve the optimal geometric amplification factor of the TNVD. By adjusting the damping parameters of the TNVD, we can obtain a better effective displacement coefficient greater than 0.95 in the proposed target region. Meanwhile, the fd and fE increase with the decrease in the negative stiffness. An optimization strategy for the improved TNVD has been proposed to ensure that the TNVD has the characteristics of operational safety, ideal displacement amplification capability, and energy dissipation capability. Furthermore, a multi-objective control design method with an additional improved TNVD structure is proposed. The vibration reduction effect of the structure with the improved TNVD and the effectiveness of the optimization strategy are verified through examples.

Preliminary Analysis of Beam Position Monitor Accuracy

The beam position is the most important reference basis for the operation of synchrotron radiation light sources, particularly for commissioning the first-turn injection of fourth-generation light sources. To improve the accuracy of the beam position measurement, we analyzed methods for calculating the beam position, and a finite element calculation and the stretched wire calibration system were used to demonstrate the procedure. We proved the relationship between the coverage range, fitting order, scanning step size, and accuracy both theoretically and experimentally, which can provide a basis for selecting the appropriate fitting order for different operation stages of the accelerator. It was proved that the accuracy of beam position calculations using simplified polynomial coefficients is comparable to those without a simplified one, which can save resources for reading electronic processing. The testing results of a batch of beam position monitors (BPMs) were in good agreement with the finite element calculation results, and the small difference between the manufactured BPMs also proved that quality control was performed well, and it benefited from button sorting.

A finite element model of human hindfoot and its application in supramalleolar osteotomy

BackgroundThe majority of the ankle osteoarthritis cases are posttraumatic and affect younger patients with a longer projected life span. Hence, joint-preserving surgery, such as supramalleolar osteotomy becomes popular among young patients, especially those with asymmetric arthritis due to alignment deformities. However, there is a lack of biomechanical studies on postoperative evaluation of stress at ankle joints. We aimed to construct a verifiable finite element model of the human hindfoot, and to explore the effect of different osteotomy parameters on the treatment of varus ankle arthritis. MethodsThe bones of the hindfoot are reconstructed using normal CT tomography data from healthy volunteers, while the cartilages and ligaments are determined from the literature. The finite element calculation results are compared with the weight-bearing CT (WBCT) data to validate the model. By setting different model parameters, such as the osteotomy height (L) and the osteotomy distraction distance (h), the effects of different surgical parameters on the contact stress of the ankle joint surface are compared. FindingsThe alignment and the deformation of hindfoot bones as determined by the finite element analysis aligns closely with the data obtained from WBCT. The maximum contact stress of the ankle joint surface calculated by this model increases with the increase of the varus angle. The maximum contact stresses as a function of the L and h of the ankle joint surface are determined. InterpretationThe relationship between surgical parameters and stress at the ankle joint in our study could further help guiding the planning of the supramalleolar osteotomy according to the varus/valgus alignment of the patients.

Mechanical Performance Investigation of a Flat-Roof and Four-Slope Folded Plate Structure

The flat-roof and four-slope folded plate structure is a space thin-walled structure composed of four trapezoidal plates and a rectangular plate parallel to the bottom surface, which is widely used in various engineering applications. In order to clarify the force transmission path and stress distribution law under the action of this structural load, the folded plate structures were made by utilizing the plexiglass with the thicknesses of 3 and 4 mm, respectively, and had the simple support on opposite sides and fixed support on another opposite side. Then, the static load tests and ANSYS finite element analysis were implemented, and the results were compared. It shows that the test results are basically consistent with the finite element calculation results, the maximum stress values of the folded plate structure along the X and Y directions appear in the same position, and the maximum stress value of a 3 mm thick folded plate structure is greater than that of 4 mm. The junction position of the roof and the slope plate is the dangerous section, and the special treatment should be made for this section to prevent the damage of folded plate structure in the practical engineering. Moreover, some reasonable measures also should be taken to meet the design requirements of the plate–plate junction position.

Energy absorption of central self-similar honeycombs under quasi-static axial load

At present, improving the energy absorption capacity of lightweight degradable polymer honeycombs is crucial for one of the future engineering applications and bio-inspired strategy based on hierarchy is considered an efficient method for designing honeycomb structures. To improve the energy absorption performance and stability of polymer honeycombs, this study develops three central self-similar bio-inspired honeycombs combining the microstructure of horsetails and designs different connections between the two walls and connecting structures for the central self-similar honeycombs. Bio-inspired honeycombs are fabricated using toughened polylactic acid (PolyMax™ PLA) through fused deposition modelling and subjected to axial compression tests. The finite element (FE) models of the bio-inspired honeycombs are developed to simulate the axial compression process and verified with experimental results. Results show that the connecting structures distributed on the outer wall of the central self-similar honeycombs considerably improve the energy absorption performance of the bio-inspired honeycombs. In the double-cell honeycombs, connecting structures interact with the cell walls, leading to the formation of more folding lobes on the cell walls and increased cell wall utilisation. Furthermore, the effects of geometrical parameters on the energy absorption performance of the bio-inspired honeycombs are investigated. Suitable connecting structure size and cell wall thickness can improve the energy absorption performance and stability of the honeycombs. In addition, the theoretical calculation models of the three bio-inspired honeycombs are established, and the errors with the FE calculation results are within 6 %, which verifies the accuracy of the theoretical models.

Modeling and Experiment of the Vibro-Acoustic Response of Cylindrical Shells With Internal Substructures

Abstract This study investigates the theoretical and experimental aspects of the vibro-acoustic characteristics of cylindrical shells with internal substructures. On the theoretical side, a hybrid calculation method is proposed, which combines the condensed transfer function method with the direct stiffness method and the precise transfer matrix method. The cylindrical shell with internal substructures is decoupled, and the governing equations for the cylindrical shell substructure and the internal substructure are separately established. Furthermore, the coupling forces between the cylindrical shell substructure and the plate substructure are solved based on the condensed transfer function method. These coupling forces are then incorporated into the overall transfer equation of the cylindrical shell to obtain the vibro-acoustic response of the coupled structure. Compared with the finite element calculation results, the validity of the calculation method in this paper is verified. In terms of experiments, the natural frequency, mode, and vibration acoustic response of the model were tested and compared with the theoretical results, which was in good agreement. The study demonstrates that the proposed hybrid calculation method based on the condensed transfer function is effective in predicting the vibro-acoustic characteristics of cylindrical shells with internal substructures.

Multi-objective structural optimization and degradation model of magnesium alloy ureteral stent

BackgroundMg alloys have attractive properties, including biocompatibility, biodegradability, and ideal mechanical properties. Moreover, Mg alloys are regarded as one of the promising candidates for manufacturing ureteral stents. This study proposed a multi-objective optimization method based on the Kriging surrogate model, NSGA-Ⅲ, and finite element analysis to improve the degradation performance of Mg alloy ureteral stents. MethodsThe finite element model for the degradation of Mg alloy ureteral stents has been established to compare the degradation performance of the stents under different parameters. Latin hypercube sampling was adopted to generate train sample points in the design space. Meanwhile, the Kriging surrogate model was constructed between strut parameters and stent degradation behavior. The NSGA-Ⅲ was utilized to determine the optimal solution in the global design space. ResultsThe optimized stent achieved 5.52 ​× ​degradation uniformity (M), 10 ​× ​degradation time (DT), and 4 ​× ​work time (FT). The errors between the Kriging surrogate model and the finite element calculation results were less than 6%. ConclusionThe optimized stent achieved better degradation performance. The degradation behavior of stents was dependent on the design parameters. The multi-objective optimization method based on the Kriging surrogate model and finite element analysis was effective in stent design optimization problems.

Seismic Stability Analysis of Slope Reinforced by Frame Anchors Considering Prestress

Taking the slope reinforced by frame anchors as the research object, it is assumed that the potential sliding surface of the slope is an arc. Based on the limit equilibrium theory, the seismic stability analysis model of frame anchor reinforced slope considering anchor prestress is established. This study considers prestress as uniformly distributed forces acting on the slope surface and calculates the additional stress induced by prestressing within the slope to investigate its reinforcement effect on slopes. Thus, the stability of the slope is analyzed and calculated. On this basis, the functional relationship between the center position coordinates of the potential sliding surface and the safety factor is established. Using the optimization algorithm toolbox in Matlab, the possible center position area is dynamically searched, and the minimum safety factor and its corresponding center position coordinates are obtained. Taking slope engineering as an example, the calculated results are compared with the finite element calculation results. The results show that the calculation result regarding the anchor prestress as the uniformly distributed force is reliable, and the anchor prestress can significantly enhance slope stability. This calculation method applies to slope engineering in homogeneous soil with circular sliding surfaces.

Stress state analysis and symmetrical optimization of double-row non-symmetrical arrangement of anchorage slot in concrete lining structure

The role of the anchorage slot is to fix the anchorage and tension anchor rope, which is the weakest link of the concrete lining structure. The stress state of the anchorage slot area in the construction and operation stages of the 2# sand discharge of the Xiaolangdi Project was analyzed by modeling in this paper. The results showed that the stress state of the anchorage slot area was the most complex. The tensile stress was generated in the radial direction of the concrete lining during the construction period, and the circumferential pre-compression stress was unevenly distributed along the thickness direction. During the operation period, when the backfill concrete at the anchor slot and the lining jointly bore the internal water pressure, a tensile stress of 0.89 MPa was generated in the inner anchorage slot area of the lining, which was less than the tensile strength of the concrete itself. Finite element calculation results were compared with the field-measured data, and the results were essentially the same. Finite element analysis software was used to optimize the double-row asymmetric arrangement of the anchorage slots into a single-row symmetrical structure. The results showed that the angle of the complex stress area of the lining is reduced by about 75%. The optimized single-row symmetrical anchorage slot layout was safer, and the pre-stressing distribution was more uniform.

Study on the influence of spring helix angle increase on stress distribution and fatigue life of the operating mechanism

The spring operating mechanism is the key component of the high-voltage circuit breaker, and its split-closing power comes from the self-energy storage of the split-closing spring, so the performance mechanism and fatigue state of the split-closing spring has a great impact on the operation process and dynamic response of the operating mechanism. In this paper, by increasing the coil angle of the spring, changing the spring design material, classifying and modeling the spring, and applying finite element analysis aim to analyze the static structure. The influence of the change of different spring coil angles and materials on the stress distribution of the spring is explored, and the finite element calculation results are imported into the life analysis module to evaluate the life of springs with different helix angles and materials. The results show that under the action of 9 kN working load, after the helix angle is increased by 0.6°, the spring life decreases by 7.23%, the spring life continues to increase by 0.7°, and the overall life of the spring decreases by 12.3%, compared with the initial state. The life decline curve shows an inverse proportional trend.

Analysis of Stress and Deformation Characteristics of Different Dam Heights in Deep Overburden

Relying on an actual project, this paper carries out the application analysis and prediction research of the dam height 150m-200m concrete-faced rockfill dam on deep overburden. Through the finite element calculation results, the stress and deformation of the dam and the structural design of the seepage control system are analyzed. Several preliminary standards have been adopted to control its safety and provide a reasonable basis and technical support for the construction of a 150m-200m high dam on deep overburden.

Simulation and experimental study on liner collapse of lined composite pipe

With the application of lined composite pipe in the offshore oil and gas transportation system, the instability and collapse problems of its liner has been paid more and more attention. In this paper, A nonlinear finite element model of elastic-plastic instability of the confined liner of lined composite pipe is established. Considering the initial out-of-roundness (δ0/R) defect, the instability configuration and displacement equilibrium path of the liner before and after critical buckling are considered, the δ0/R defect sensitivity and the relationship between D/t ratio of the liner are analyzed. Finally, the finite element solution and analytical solution are verified by experimental data in this paper and experimental data reported elsewhere. It is concluded that δ0/R defect relative to 1 % will reduce the critical instability load value by about 65 %. The relative error between finite element calculation results of instability critical load and experiment test measured load is 1.82 %. The experimental results are in good agreement with the finite element calculation results. Thus it can be seen that by using the nonlinear finite element model of elastic-plastic instability of the confined liner model established in this paper, not only the critical unstable load of the confined steel liner can be accurately solved, but also the cost of experiment test can be greatly saved. It provides a theoretical basis for the buckling-restrained design of lined composite pipe.

A semi-analytical model to predict residual stress distribution in thick wall girth weld with narrow gap welding

Benefited by its high efficiency and low cost, the narrow gap welding has been widely used in thick wall pressure equipment. Considering the fact that defects in welded joints inevitable, the safety assessments for welding equipment with residual stress are crucial. However, for the thick-wall equipment using narrow-gap welding, the current safety assessment standards specifying the residual stress distribution are not detailed or missing. In this paper, the through-wall residual stress of thick wall girth welds with narrow gap welding is studied. The stress components (bending stress, membrane stress and self-equilibrating stress) at the evaluation point are obtained by stress decomposition. The effects of the heat input, the wall thickness, the radius thickness ratio and the number of welding passes on residual stress are considered, respectively. The results show that the heat input only affects the distribution of bending stress and membrane stress. The axial and hoop bending stresses decrease with the increase of the wall thickness, and the hoop membrane stress is about 0.75 times material yield strength. With the increase of radius thickness ratio, the bending stress decreases while the hoop membrane stress increases. The stress distribution is fluctuating when the number of welding layers is small, which be expressed by trigonometric function. The distribution model of welding residual stress through the wall thickness is proposed. The stress distribution obtained by the proposed prediction model is in good agreement with the finite element calculation results.

Study on valley deformation of high arch dams based on nonlinear rheological damage model

The scale of the high arch dam project is large, and the water level is high. The construction and water storage effect will significantly impact the rock mass of the high slopes on both sides, especially on the structural planes such as internal faults. Based on the Jinping Ⅰ high arch dam, an improved Nishihara rheological damage model was established to address the phenomenon of valley shrinkage deformation. The stress and deformation states of the rock mass and dam in the reservoir area were calculated, and the results were compared with the conventional elastic–plastic finite element method. The results indicate that the improved parallel Nishihara rheological damage model can better conform to the deformation properties of the internal structural planes of the rock mass, and the calculation results using this model are closer to the actual deformation situation. When considering the structural plane's rheological characteristics, the valley shrinkage deformation law is consistent with the conventional elastic–plastic finite element calculation results, but the magnitude is too large. In addition, when considering the rheological characteristics of the structural plane, the increase in valley shrinkage deformation value further increases the stress and deformation of the high arch dam, which can better reflect the dam's working behavior and ensure the dam's safe operation.

Prediction analysis of slope stability due to soft and weak interlayers based on partial least squares method

Abstract In this paper, based on sampling and analysis of a large number of soft and weak sandwich slope data, several factors that have a great influence on slope stability are established, and a predictive analysis model describing the stability of soft and weak sandwich slopes is established by using the now more advanced partial least squares method. Then, for the traditional partial least squares method that is not suitable for the non-linear stability coefficient of the weak sandwich to slope stability prediction, the recursive partial least squares method with forgetting factor is proposed for the weak sandwich to slope stability prediction analysis to solve the problem of stability prediction lag. Finally, based on elastic mechanics, elastic fracture mechanics and unsaturated soil mechanics, the structure of soft and weak interlayers on slopes and their stability strength are studied, and the performance of MATLAB-based partial least squares method for slope stability prediction analysis is verified by designing orthogonal experiments. The results show that the predicted values do not differ much from the results of finite element calculation, the absolute errors are all less than 0.15, and there are 5 absolute non-differences less than 0.1, accounting for 62.5% of the total number of predicted groups. The relative errors were less than 6%. This study shows that the partial least squares method can deal with the nonlinear mapping relationship between slope stability and influencing factors well and can make more accurate and objective prediction results on the stability of slopes.

Effect of Top-Coat Thickness and Interface Fluctuation on the Residual Stress in APS-TBCs

This study focused on the numerical simulation of the distribution of residual stress in yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) coatings prepared with atmospheric plasma spraying (APS). We particularly investigated the stress distribution around the interface between the top coat and bond coat. During thermal spray deposition, droplets and particles deposit on the substrate in a complex manner, causing interface waviness and non-uniform stress distribution. Therefore, residual stress is an important consideration when preparing thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). Residual stresses directly affect the performance of bond coats (BCs) and ceramic top coats (TCs). To accurately evaluate residual stress, we considered interface waviness and the thickness of the ceramic top coat and conducted a detailed analysis of stress distribution. The results show that compressive stress exists at the TC/BC interface, which may be caused by the mismatch in the thermal expansion coefficient between the YSZ top coat and the substrate, potentially leading to coating delamination. Moreover, the residual stress at the TC/BC interface significantly increases with an increasing YSZ thickness. When the top-coat thickness exceeds 300 μm, stress concentration and failure of the coating are likely to occur. Meanwhile, the optimized thermal spray experiment results confirm that the residual stress at the BC/YSZ interface of the thermal barrier coating is tensile stress, with a maximum value of 155 MPa, which is consistent with the finite element calculation results. Furthermore, the failure modes of TBCs with rough interface conditions are discussed in detail. Our research provides important guidance for TBC design and optimizing their performance.

The Maintenance Effect of Diaphragm-to-Rib Fatigue Cracks in Orthotropic Steel Deck via Steel Plate Reinforcement

To investigate the maintenance effect of diaphragm-to-rib fatigue cracks via steel plate reinforcement, finite element models of different-shaped steel plates were established. Stress intensity factors at the crack tip before and after reinforcement were obtained, and the variations in stresses were studied. Polygonal steel plate reinforcements were then carried out on a real bridge based on the finite element calculation results. The changes in stress amplitudes and fatigue damage degrees at the crack tip were analyzed via the rain-flow counting method and Miner’s linear damage accumulating theory. The results show that both the polygonal steel plate and the rectangular steel plate could effectively eliminate the stress concentration and restrain the propagation of cracks. The stresses in other parts of the arc notch increased after reinforcement and polygonal steel plates had less influence. After the reinforcement in a real bridge, the cycle number of high stress amplitudes at the crack tip decreased significantly. The fatigue damage degree of the repaired part reduced by 70.1%, which verified the maintenance effect via polygonal steel plate reinforcement on diaphragm-to-rib fatigue cracks.

An investigation of the flexural behaviour of large-span prestressed and steel-reinforced concrete slabs

The prestressed and steel-reinforced concrete slab (PSRCS) is an innovative composite structural member offering high load capacity and stiffness and exceptional anti-crack performance, making it a leading trend in composite structures. This paper presents the derived calculation formulas for bearing capacity, section stiffness, mid-span deflection of PSRCS. Additionally, a numerical analysis of PSRCS is conducted using ABAQUS software, with several models created to systematically investigate bearing capacity, section stiffness, anti-crack performance, and failure mode. Concurrently, PSRCS member parameters are analyzed for optimal design, and the results of finite element (FE) calculations are compared with theoretical formula calculations. The results demonstrate that PSRCS exhibits superior load capacity, section stiffness, and anti-crack performance comparing to conventional slabs. The parametric analysis offers optimal design for each parameter and presents the corresponding recommended span-to-depth ratios for various spans in PSRCS applications.

An explosion field inversion algorithm combining finite element calculation and tomography

The finite element numerical calculation can get the shock wave velocity and overpressure at any point in the explosion field, but some factors such as the parameter value of the state equation influence the calculation results. The tomography inversion can acquire the velocity and overpressure distribution of shock wave; however, the initial model and constraints can affect the inversion results. Aiming at the shortcoming of the two algorithms, this article combines the two methods and presents a new algorithm to reconstruct the explosion field. First, The LS-DYNA finite element program is applied to establish a numerical model and calculate the shock wave velocity and superpressure in air explosion. Second, generalized inversion with regularization tomography inversion algorithm is used to invert the shock wave field. In the inversion, the finite element calculation results are used as the initial model of inversion and constrain the inversion. The experiment results prove that the proposed algorithm can greatly improve the inversion accuracy and the iterative convergence speed. The inversion image can better depict the internal details of the explosion field and eliminate noise.